The Karpinka Brothers talk about the books they can't stop reading
Together, Aaron and Shawn Karpinka form the Saskatoon folk group The Karpinka Brothers. But each has chosen a distinct book they can't stop reading. Their album Talk Is Cheap was released in 2017.
This interview originally aired on Jan. 1, 2018.
Slobberknocker: My Life in Wrestling by Jim Ross
Aaron says: "If you're not a wrestling nerd like myself, Jim Ross is a long-time commentator and booking agent for the WWE. I go out and I buy all the wrestling autobiographies because they are so similar to the music biographies that I read. The link between the two is strange — it all comes down to storytelling, performing and life lessons. Jim Ross, like lots of us, has made many mistakes and he's very honest about it in Slobberknocker. He gets so busy with his work and it reminded me of myself. There is a point in the book where, in the midst of all of his touring, he fails to balance life enough to be there for his partner and they drift apart. That's a great lesson I took from this book. If you don't balance your dreams, your successes — if you don't stay focused on your home life — those precious things, like your relationship and your health, can slip away."
Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch
Shawn says: "This a book that I love. It's a mixture of a memoir and a little bit of self-help, all done in a very David Lynch way. It works on a number of levels. You can read it casually, as a bedside book because the chapters are very short. Sometimes they are very profound, at other times they're hilarious. The book is as mysterious as David Lynch can be. I love getting his mind a bit and looking at his creative process. Surprisingly, he opens up in this book. He talks about his failures, successes and what inspires him. This book helped me. I've recommended it to musician friends. If you're always thinking ahead but need a little bit of guidance in being present in your daily life, I highly recommend Catching the Big Fish."
Aaron and Shawn Karpinka's comments have been edited and condensed.